How Much Can You Stand?
by thebigzit
Summary: How much can you stand...before you break? Lucy has been captured by a dark guild who wish for her to summon the Celestial Spirit King. She has been tortured for weeks, but when her Fairy Tail nakama burst in to save her, they too are captured. When Lucy's captors turn to torturing her family, it may just break her in more ways than one.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody who is taking the time to read this instead of skipping down to the story! I am fairly new to writing on fanfic (although I have been reading fanfics for years...), but my past stories having all been difficult to continue due to me being busy and not having a computer for a year...However, I am once again blessed with my own computer to fill with stories and ideas (that I may or may not ever publish...), and I've decided to try again. I am open to constructive criticism, but do not promise to always change things in order to comply with reader's wishes. I hope you like the first chapter of "How Much Can You Stand?" and I would LOVE to get some helpful advice and feedback on my writing.**

"How much can you stand before you break?" The first words her captors had spoken to her since her capture echoed in Lucy's head as she was left shaking and alone in a small cell. Her hands drifted to her waist, out of habit, only for her to remember that her captors had taken her keys and whip away from her. Looking around her she saw the cell was made of stone and dimly lit by two small torches. Though the small flames were only enough to send flickering light across a few feet, they filled Lucy with hope as the sight of the flames reminded her of her hot-headed partner, and best friend. "Natsu," she whispered. Just saying his name filled her with a rush of warmth. But just as suddenly, the warm feelings were extinguished as she remembered her last words to him…."Baka! I don't need you to protect me all the time! I could have handled that bandit just fine on my own! And you went way overboard too! I lost half my reward money in order to pay for damage costs! I'm taking a solo mission, and don't you dare even think about following me!"

Lucy choked back a sob as she remembered the hurt that had flashed through his eyes when she yelled at him and stomped away. At the time she had been so angry that she hadn't cared… Why had she been so angry? It wasn't like it was the first time his over-protectiveness had caused trouble….Lucy tried to remember, but the back of her head was throbbing painfully from where her captors had knocked her out. Trying to block out the pain, she pushed further into her memories. Lucy's mind flashed back briefly to an article she had read in Sorcerer Weekly titled "The Strongest Team's Weakest Member". "Oh, that's why," she thought, remembering the events that had led up to her fight with Natsu. Lucy had stopped at her favorite magazine vendor cart on the way to her guild in the morning. To her surprise, the vendor told her that all of the monthly copies of Sorcerer Weekly had already been purchased.

"Don't look so glum child," the vendor said. "You can have my copy, I always make sure to save one so that I can read it myself later."

"A-are you sure?" Lucy had stammered, hardly daring to believe her good luck.

"Of course my dear," the kind vendor said with a laugh.

Thanking him profusely, Lucy had excitedly begun to read the article while she walked to the guild. When she came to the article titled "The Strongest Team's Weakest Member", her heart began to thump painfully. Praying that her hunch was wrong, Lucy's eyes quickly skimmed over the article. She froze in place as she read the article, which designated her as the weakest member of a strong team. Lucy felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she read phrases such as "only on the team for her looks" and "rumored to be used only for a-a…" Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and threw the book into the river beside her. Running back to her apartment, Lucy had sat crying for hours…when she had composed herself again, Lucy's eyes glinted with determination. She set off to the guild with a new purpose.

When she got to the guild, she had picked out a moderately difficult mission. The mission required a wizard to go undercover and investigate a group of bandits that was rumored to be attempting to form a dark guild. She left expecting to do it as a solo mission in order to prove the article wrong, but Natsu had followed her and ended up butting in at the worst moment possible. Blowing her cover and destroying half the town….At the time she had been so mad… "Why do you insist on protecting me all the time?!" She had yelled at him, "Do you really think I'm so weak and pathetic that I can't handle anything on my own? Or is it because you just can't help but act like a reckless fool?"

Feelings of guilt and shame coursed through Lucy as she recalled her words and actions that day. After her first failed attempt at a solo mission, Lucy was even more determined to prove herself. After shouting out those horrible last words to Natsu, she had stomped out of the guild and left for her mission. However, this time Lucy hadn't even made it to her destination. Aboard the train ride to her client's home, Lucy had been ambushed by a pair of powerful wizards. The first one had frozen her body in place with a type of body-control magic, while the second one had manipulated her keys away from her using a type of object-control magic, similar to Sherry of Lamia Scales Doll Attack magic. Luckily, Loke managed to slip through the gate. Using his Regulus impact, her punched her first assailant, freeing her from the body bind that was freezing her in place. However, before he could do anything else, a metal pole had come flying out from behind the second assailant. Lucy could only watch in horror as the pole pierced Loke's torso, impaling him and trapping him against the train compartment's wall.

"L-lucy," Loke had managed to spit out as he coughed up blood from an obviously impaled lung.

"Loke!" Lucy cried, running to his side. "Don't worry, I'm sending you back now to recover. You'll be ok. I promise."

"N-no," Loke stammered. "I won't l-leave you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not giving you a choice," Lucy responded. "Close, gate of the lion," she said, her voice full of determination. After Loke disappeared, however, Lucy's determination wavered at the sight of the first assailant's return. She reached for her keys to summon another spirit, only to remember that her second attacker had taken them. To her horror, she also discovered that her celestial whip was missing too. Lucy looked up to find her own whip swinging towards her. The whip coiled around her, trapping her as the second attacker looked on in silence. Lucy strained to catch a glimpse of the features of either of her attackers, but was unable to since both of them wore masks inscribed with strange symbols. Something about those symbols had seemed familiar to Lucy, but she was unable to continue her train of thought when she felt something large and solid connect with the back of her head. Her vision going black, Lucy's body slumped to the floor. Her last sight was of her two captors standing over her body, ready with magic nullifying cuffs.

Coming back to the present, Lucy's eyes widened as she quickly looked down to her wrists. To her horror, both of her wrists were enclosed in magic nullifying cuffs. Knowing it would be useless to try and break their seal, Lucy felt her hope wavering. Lucy desperately tried to think of something else and found her mind drifting back to her partner…"Would he even care that I am gone now?" Lucy wondered. Shaking her head to try to dispel those negative thoughts Lucy thought," Of course, I'm sure he'll come looking for me the second I don't return on time from my mission."

"Or will he?" a voice of uncertainty creeped into her mind…."You were so mean to him, and he was only trying to protect you. Why should he save you? You told him yourself that you didn't need saving…"

"No!" Lucy corrected herself, "I know he will come for me! He'd never abandon his nakama!" Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps echoing on the stone hallway outside of her cell. "They're back already?" she wondered, "Maybe they've changed their minds and will let me go….ha, as if. But a girl can hope right?" Her thoughts were interrupted again by the sound of the cell door swinging open. A tall figured pushed open the door, slamming into the wall with a loud resounding bang. Jumping to her feet at the sudden noise, Lucy turned to face the now open doorway. As light flooded in from the hallway, Lucy's eyes strained to catch sight of her captors. The bright light from the hallway cast a shadow over the face of her captor, making it impossible for Lucy to make out any of the person's facial features.

"How much can you stand before you break?" A man's low, taunting voice rang out through the silence. Lucy felt a flash of fear course through her when she heard that ominous question for the second time. Before Lucy respond to the question, he spoke again, "A delicate little fairy like you most likely won't last a day, but I guess we'll see won't we?" His voice sent shivers through Lucy's body. She could feel the bloodlust and insanity leaked from his very essence. The man took two steps forward, entering the small cell and filling the room with a crushing feeling of power and fear. As he continued forward, Lucy tried her best to move further away from the evil man, her back bumping into the cold stone wall behind her. One step further and Lucy's eyes were finally able to make out his face. She gasped at the sight of scars marring almost every inch skin. But when she caught sight of his eyes, she felt as if all of the air in her body had been sucked out. "Oh yes…" he drawled, "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."

"Who are you?" Lucy managed to spit out, the terror coursing through making it hard for her to speak.

"While I wish I could begin by tearing you to pieces," the man said in a voice filled with longing, "I was told that your first session would be with my sister." His fists clenched and his voice rose in anger. "That stupid bitch gets all the fun! And although I doubt a weakling like you will last long in her special care…I won't get my turn either. Knowing my sister, after she finishes playing with you, you'll already be dead."

On that terror-instilling note, the man spun around and stomped out of the cell and back into the hallway. The second he was gone, Lucy's legs gave out and she slowly slide out to the ground. Her back scrapped painfully against the stone wall, but Lucy barely noticed it as her body had gone numb with fear. Her eyes drifted slowly around the room, resting on the sight of one of the torches flames dancing wildly, as if angered.

"Natsu," she whispered.

 **So...What do you think? Once again, I would LOVE to get some feedback and advice from readers so please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey humans who are reading this instead of skipping down to the story! Sorry I took so long to post this next chapter, I've had a crazy busy past few weeks. This is including having my car's gas tank filled with sugar, a two-week camp with sessions lasting from 8:30 to 5:30 every day, and just family drama. Yes, it's been hectic, but I promise I've been trying my best to get this chapter written and ready to be posted. I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors that I may have missed in the previous chapter, I went back and fixed all of them that I found. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, followed, and even just read my story, you don't know how excited and happy it makes me! Just a heads up, this will be a NALU story. I have nothing against other couple pairings for characters, but Nalu is my favorite. Thank you, again for the reviews... and now I'll be done so that you can start reading chapter 2!**

Soon after her captor left her alone again in her cell, Lucy fell into a restless sleep. The pain from her head injury, as well as the shock from the terror-instilling words of her captor left her feeling drained. Lucy would only manage to catch a few minutes of sleep at the most before startling awake at the smallest of sounds. The cycle of nodding off and jolting back to consciousness felt never-ending, and wore Lucy out even more. Although there was no window in her cell to allow her to try to tell the time, Lucy guessed she had been trapped there for at least 12 hours. "My mission was supposed to only take a day," she thought to herself, "so I bet Natsu is already looking for me."

"Think again," sneered a familiar voice. Jolting in shock, and then wincing from the pain that followed the sudden movement, Lucy looked around the cell. To her shock, she spied a communication lacrima in the corner. "My sister took the initiative to contact your client and tell them you had to cancel. Meanwhile I sent a message to your guild, informing them that you planned to stay a few extra days in order to complete the mission, seeing as it had turned out to be more difficult than a weak person like you could handle quickly. Considering that everybody knows how weak you are, no one will suspect a thing. So, as I said before, I would think again if you believe that your Fairy Tail nakama are coming to save you."

Trying desperately to hide her rising panic Lucy declared, "I don't believe you. My Fairy Tail nakama will come for me."

"Believe what you want," he said, smirking as Lucy fought to keep her body from shaking. "Anyway," he began," the real reason I came back down here was to tell you to prepare yourself. My sister returned from her trip today, and will be ready to begin breaking you soon. I am here to take you to our special treatment room." He stepped forward, adding,"Don't resist me. You don't know how jealous I am that my sister gets to be the one to break you….I dare you to give me an excuse to begin breaking you first."

Lucy's mind raced, trying to come up with a plan to escape. Her captors' idea of "special treatment" sounded more and more threatening, and Lucy planned to escape before she could find out just what that treatment entailed. Trying to buy some more time to think of a plan, Lucy tried to get her captor talking again. "What do you want from me?" she asked.

"Nothing from you," he answered, "we want you…broken. You are useless too us until you have been broken, your very soul shattered." Lucy shivered at his words, confusion and terror stilling her heart. A plan settling into her mind, Lucy waited until her captor got within striking distance. Before she could strike, however, her captor stopped and waved his hand. To Lucy's horror, she felt the chains holding her shift, forcing her to stand. "You didn't think I would stupid enough to get close to you, did you?" her captor asked with a sneer, "My object-control magic makes it easy for me to transport scum like you without having to dirty my hands be touching you. Now, be a dear and come along with me."

Lucy struggled against the chains, but it was no use. The magic-nullifying cuffs around her wrists left her body weak, and her captor's magic was strong. Lucy was led through a series of hallways, each one seemingly more dark than the last. She tried her best to memorize the twists and turns, but she quickly lost count. She slumped back, letting the chains drag her exhausted body forward. A single tear ran down her face as she felt despair creeping back into her. As she was forced around the corner of yet another hallway, her eyes caught sight of a light at the end of the hallway. Drawing nearer to the room, Lucy began to make out the figure of her second captor. The figure of women indicated that this must be the sister who was scheduled to begin Lucy's special treatment.

"Natsu," she whispered. A memory of his warming smile flashed through her mind, refueling her determination to escape. The figure of the women disappeared, and Lucy figured she must have gone back inside the room to prepare for her session. Lucy knew that she had to escape, it could be her only chance. As Lucy neared the doorway to the room, she concentrated all of her energy on her left foot. Drawing on all of her strength, she managed to swing it forward to kick her captor in the back of his leg. In his surprise, he lost control of the chains for a moment, allowing Lucy to gain more control of her body. Spinning around as fast as she could she kicked him again in the place where she knew it would hurt the most. His face turned white in an almost comical way as Lucy began to run away. The chains rattled behind her as she ran, and her feet hurt from the rough stone floor. All of the sudden, Lucy felt her body jerk backwards, the chains around her tightening. "No!" she screamed in fright while her body yanked back to her captor. Without warning, the chains stopped, and Lucy's body was jolted to a halt. She felt herself being turned around slowly, and came face to face with her captor's.

"My name is Itami," he hissed through scarred lips and a contorted face, "Remember my name because for the next hour of your life, you will be screaming it and begging for me to stop." Lucy stifled a cry of pain as the chains around her body began to tighten. The chains around her waist grew especially tight and Lucy began to feel a strain on her ribs. She gasped as she felt the pressure build and spots began to dance in her eyes.

"Now now, Itami," a sickeningly sinister women's voice spoke out, "I called first shot at her, didn't I?" Lucy felt the chains loosen slightly and gasped at the feeling of relief, no matter how slight it was. "You aren't trying to defy me now, are you?" her second captor asked in an almost mocking way.

"N-no Rin, my dearly beloved s-sister," Itami stuttered out, "I would n-never dare to go against your word." Lucy was shocked to see the powerful man trembling in fear.

"That being said," the women, who Lucy now knew as Rin, "I am feeling generous today, and since it seems that she managed to get past your defenses, I supposed I may allow you to have my turn." Itami's eyes glinted in an almost feral way as they shifted to look over at Lucy again.

"You are to kind Rin," he said.

"But considering that you almost let her get away," Rin continued, "You had better make sure she is treated right. Don't you dare hold back, or I will lose all trust in you. You had better redeem yourself and make her tremble at even the thought of your name, or else I will remind you why you fear mine."

"Y-yes Rin," Itami choked out, his body now shaking with what Lucy feared to be excitement. "I will make sure she screams so loud that it lulls you to rest tonight."

"You'd better," Rin threatened, "But don't forget to leave a piece for me to break tomorrow as well."

Itami let out a demented laugh, "Oh, don't worry sister, I'm just going to break her body. I'll let you break her soul."

 **So...how was chapter 2? I made up the characters Rin and Itami, and I apologize if they are similar to or seem copied from another person's story. In case anyone is curious, Itami translates to "pain" and Rin means "severe" or "cold". Once again, I would LOVE to get some more feedback and advice from readers so please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Greetings awesome people who are taking the time to read this! I am so pumped by how many people have read the first two chapters, and so excited to have people following this story. For those of you who favorited my story...I am so flattered, and I hope that my writing continues to be worthy of that honor. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to those of you who reviewed so far, and I hope that I can get some more reviews for this chapter too! - Special thanks to Alexa for helping me decide on the POV of chapter three. I plan on making this story mostly from Lucy's POV, but I do plan on switching to a few other characters from time to time. Ok, with that said, please enjoy Chapter 3!**

Natsu sighed as he slumped down further into his seat by the bar. Even Mira's efforts to cheer up the normally upbeat and energetic dragon-slayer had failed. Although his guild mates were concerned, they knew the only person who could cheer him up was certain celestial mage, and she was currently away on a job.

Natsu shifted uncomfortably on the bar stool, wishing Lucy would hurry back from her job. He felt as if there was something important missing, and although he couldn't figure out why, he only felt better when Lucy was there with him. He opened his mouth to let out another sigh, but was interrupted by a cold fist slamming into the side of his face.

"What the hell popsicle prince?!" Natsu yelled, jumping up from where he had been knocked onto the floor. "You wanna fight me?!"

"I just got tired of you making pathetic faces and sighing all the damn time!" Gray answered with a smirk, "I know that you miss Lucy, but you moping around like this is seriously grating on my nerves."

"Hmph," Natsu grunted, turning away. "Whatever, I don't feel like wasting my time fighting with a freaky frosty like you." Natsu noticed his guild mates staring at him in surprise.

"What'd you call me you idiotic inferno?!" Gray snapped back, recapturing Natsu's attention. "I never thought I'd see the day ash-for-brains would turn down a fight. Do you finally admit you can't defeat me?" Anger flared inside Natsu, and his longing for Lucy was temporarily forgotten as he threw himself into another pointless fist fight with Gray.

An hour later, after demolishing two tables, five chairs, and a few other various guild property pieces, Natsu stumbled back over to the bar. His head still ringing from a lucky right hook from Erza, he sat down and let his body fall forward, resting his head on the counter. "Are you alright, Natsu?" Mira asked, approaching him with a kind smile. Natsu head throbbed with pain, but his pride wouldn't allow him to admit it. Deciding to give a noncommittal grunt, his turned his head to face her. "I'm sorry you are feeling so down, but I'm sure Lucy will be back soon! The job she took was only supposed to last a day," Mira said, trying again to cheer him up. Natsu sensed that feeling of being incomplete creeping back into him, and grew even more depressed. Noticing this, Mira tried again with a different approach. "If you are worried, I could give you the details to her mission. It isn't to far, I bet you could catch a train and meet her there before she rides back home."

"No," Natsu spoke, waves of regret and frustration rolling off of him. "Last time I followed her it didn't go so well, remember?" Natsu caught Mira's wince out of the corner of his eye, and felt a grimace forming on his own face as the memory of that disaster returned to him. "I'm going to go home for the night, see ya later," Natsu said, sliding off of the bar stool. As he walked towards the door, he felt the pressure of his guild mates eyes on his back. Ignoring them, he continued on his way home. Natsu got about half way to his house before he remembered that his flying feline companion wouldn't be there. Happy had gone on a job with Wendy and Carla and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Natsu changed his mind and began walking to Lucy's apartment instead.

As he walked through Magnolia, he passed by a magazine vendor's stand. Natsu felt rage boiling underneath his skin as he remembered what he had found there two days before… Natsu had been walking to Lucy's, feeling excited about the latest job he had picked out for them. They had been going on a lot of jobs with the whole team lately, taking on more difficult (and more high paying) jobs with Erza and Gray. Although it made Lucy happy to take on those jobs, simply because she didn't have to go on as many to make her monthly rent payment, Natsu wanted to go on a job with just Lucy. When Happy told him he wanted to go on a job with Carla and Wendy, Natsu knew it was his chance to spend some time with just Lucy. Although he didn't really understand why, he had been feeling a little annoyed lately by how much time Lucy had been spending with Erza and Gray. Refusing to admit he was jealous, Natsu repeatedly interrupted Lucy's discussion with the other two members of Team Natsu. Butting into conversations, and sometimes even physically placing himself in between them and Lucy, he had pissed off his teammates enough to earn him several punches and sharp glares. After Happy announced he was leaving for the job with Wendy and Carla, Natsu had shot off to the guild hall. He almost laughed, remembering the surprised faces of his fellow guild mates when he proudly declared he was taking a SOLO mission with JUST LUCY! Everyone had sweat dropped, but Natsu had simply shrugged and then began running towards Lucy's apartment. Along the way, Natsu's ears picked up someone saying "Lucy" and "Fairy Tail". His curiosity peaked, Natsu had stopped and gone over to the vendor's stand. A group of teenage boys were standing in a circle, all looking at a magazine and snickering. A bad feeling had begun to grow in Natsu's stomach as he observed their jeering faces. "What'd you say about Lucy?" Natsu growled threateningly. Natsu struggled to contain his rage as he listened to the stuttering boys pathetic explanation. "Let me get one thing straight before I beat you senseless," Natsu hissed, "Lucy has earned her place on the strongest team in Fairy Tail because she is one of the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail. She is also the strongest person I knew, and one of my most precious nakama. I won't tolerate you scum even thinking of her as weak." A smile formed on Natsu's face as he remembered how great pummeling those pathetic trash-talkers had felt. After teaching them a lesson, Natsu had given the terrified vendor all of the money he had with him, and ripped every single magazine with that stupid article off the shelf. Gathering them in a pile, Natsu had felt great satisfaction when he lit them on fire and incinerated every last one. With that finished, he had continued on to Lucy's apartment. Since it had taken him a while to get there, Lucy had already woken up by the time he arrived. Hearing the sound of rushing water, Natsu assumed she was in the shower. After helping himself to everything in her kitchen, Natsu had collapsed onto Lucy's bed to wait for her to finish getting ready.

Returning to the present, Natsu held a hand to where she had Lucy kicked him upon discovering him in her room. He still didn't understand why she was so mad, but he hadn't been able to focus on her yelling at him either since she was clad only in a much too small bathing towel. Natsu shook his head, trying to clear it of that mental image. Natsu groaned in frustration as the image continue to tease him. Natsu knew that he was physically attracted to Lucy, he wasn't quite as dense as most people believe him to be, he just didn't understand why. Natsu recognized that most of his female nakama had bodies that most men would drool over, but he had never been affected by them. He saw them as nakama and respected them for their strength and talents. Confusion and vexation coursed through him as he ran a hand through his salmon locks. He just couldn't figure out why he had such weird and strange feelings when he was around Lucy these days. It wasn't just her body that was affecting him either though. Lately, there were so many little things she would do that would set him off. Sometimes when Lucy would laugh, it made him feel warm inside. This confused him because he was a fire dragon slayer so he was used to being warm, but for some reason this warmth felt different. When Lucy would get mad at him and puff out her cheek in frustration, she looked so cute he couldn't help but continue to tease her. This confused him to. Since when did he start thinking of things as cute?! But the worst was when Lucy smiled with that special smile that was just for him. It made his heart skip a beat and strange emotions rush through him. It also made him have to most bizarre desire to hold her close and never let her go. Natsu let out a nervous laugh as he pictured Lucy's response to him grabbing her close like that. "She would probably blush and get all flustered…and then Lucy kick me," he mused.

"Oi! Pink-haired loud mouth!" screamed a irritatingly familiar voice.

"What do you want you old hag?" Natsu responded, looking up to find himself in front of Lucy's apartment.

"Remind that blonde bimbo that rent is due tomorrow and if it isn't on time, I'm doubling it!" screeched Lucy's landlady.

"Yeah, yeah, she'll have the money on time…bossy old hag," Natsu answered, mumbling the last part. The landlady's sharp glare warned him that his mumbling had been heard and he took off before she could retaliate. Waiting until the old hag had departed, Natsu scaled the apartment with ease, making his usual entrance through Lucy's window. Natsu braced himself for a Lucy kick, a shrill scream, or even an exasperated "Natsu!", but was greeted only by silence. Although he hadn't really expected her to back from her mission already, disappointment washed over him in waves. Natsu wandered around Lucy's apartment a bit, helping himself to a "few" snacks in the kitchen before climbing into Lucy's bed. Settling down into Lucy's super soft and comfy bed, he breathed in deeply. If he was honest with himself, he loved how comfortable Lucy's bed was, but the best part was being immersed in her scent, which always lingered, even if she wasn't home. Even though Natsu knew Lucy would be angry to find him in her bed, he wanted to be the first one to see her when she got back…even if she Lucy kicked him.

 **Aw...so much fluff at the end. ;) I know that Natsu may be a bit OC, but I'm trying my best to balance his normal "Natsu charm" with his changing feelings toward Lucy. Thank you, again, for all the support I have received so far, and I hope that you will continue to do so. It is really encouraging and exciting when people review, so I'd love to get some more reviews for this chapter.**


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